The PRovoke Media Podcast

COP26, Climate & Corporate Communications

As COP26 gets underway, two leaders from strategic communications consultancy Fourtold, Omar Mockbil and Tatu Liimatainen, who head up the firm’s EU advocacy and EU public affairs businesses respectively, join Maja Pawinska Sims on the PRovoke Media podcast to talk about the regulatory and policy milestones around environment, climate and sustainability leading up to the summit, and what it might mean for public affairs and corporate communications consultants, and effective messaging around climate change.

3 Changes To Help Overcome The Mental Health Pandemic — And The Role Comms Can Play

This episode tackles mental health from the pharmaceutical new perspective with Robert Murphy, head of external communications at Otsuka America Pharmaceutical and Kelly Dencker, EVP, Director of healthcare at Coyne PR. We anchor the conversation in a piece that Otsuka published in Forbes' BrandVoice platform: These 3 Changes Can Help Us Overcome The Mental Health Pandemic by Jodi Helmer. In the conversation, we explore each three factors and dive more deeply into the the role that communications can play in each.

Murphy's views are his own and do not necessarily reflect Otsuka America Pharmaceutical. 

Topics covered: 
01:35 What is it like working at Otsuka America Pharmaceutical?
03:41 How communications can help improve  access to care
08:17 Why mental health community outreach requires a multi-layered approach 
11:21 The role comms plays in leveraging the power of digital technology
16:41 How to create a more compassionate culture around mental health
21:55 How the language we uses can shift acceptance of mental health

When CEOs + CCOs Clash, Is Leaving The Only Recourse?

In this episode of the PRovoke Media podcast, PRovoke Media's executive editor Aarti Shah talks to Gabriel Stricker who has been immersed in Silicon Valley for two decades with senior roles at Google, Twitter, Niantic, the Emerson Collective, and most recently at Color. They talk about how Stricker nearly took on the top communications job at Theranos — and the lessons he learned from that near miss. Drawing upon Stricker's experiences, they talk about what happens when CCOs and CEOs clash on values, ethics and purpose. The conversation happened on the backdrop of Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen's testimony before the Senate. 

 

Topics: 
01:30 Gabriel Stricker on almost working at Theranos 
03:50 The importance of having moral alignment with the leadership team
06:17 Is it possible to vet for character during the interview process? 
10:05 Is the gold rush mentality in tech normalizing people compromise their values for big payouts? 
13:34 Having a healthy internal culture and building harmful products aren't mutually exclusive
17:36 Should CCOs be chief conscience officers? 
28:43 The tricky economics of the agency world
36:33 Stricker's rule for vetting companies 

Podcast: Paul Dyer On Friction Fatigue

In this PRovoke Media podcast, Lippe Taylor CEO Paul Dyer discusses his new book Friction Fatigue, in which he challenges brands to accept the failures of advertising and start engaging consumers on their own terms.

 

Being Human In A Tech-Enabled World: Learning

Being Human in a Tech-Enabled World is a four-part video series from PRovoke Media in partnership with AxiCom on how different aspects of life and work – as humans and communicators – have changed since we were thrust into a virtual and hybrid world and how they might change again in the future, now the power of technology has been realised. This third episode features AxiCom’s Aaron Virola and Emily Denton, as well as executive leadership coach Michael “Coop” Cooper in conversation with PRovoke Media's EMEA editor, Maja Pawinska Sims. The panel discuss the reality of starting a job, and even a career, without meeting colleagues, and the challenges for employers of onboarding and mentoring team members, and maintaining agency culture and on-the-job learning and professional development in a remote or hybrid working model.

WBA’s Aaron Radelet On How Covid Changed The Health & Wellness Business

In this episode of the PRovoke Media podcast, Walgreens Boots Alliance CCO Aaron Radelet talks about how the Covid pandemic elevated the role of pharmacies and health & wellness retailers like Walgreens, Duane Reade and Boots as part of the larger healthcare system.

 

Lenovo‘s Genevieve Hilton

Lenovo Asia-Pacific communications head Genevieve Hilton joins the PRovoke Media podcast to discuss how the in-house communications role is changing. In conversation with PRovoke editor-in-chief Arun Sudhaman, Hilton discusses the changing balance between global and local communications, the importance of inclusivity, the rise of sustainability as a function, and more. 

Healthy Bites: The Future of Digital Health With Dan Carter

We've partnered with Real Chemistry— formerly W2O — on a new series Healthy Bites. In each episode, we will have a quick chat with a healthcare expert to provide a digestible "what you should know" to help the industry stay ahead of the rapidly changing healthcare public relations and communications landscape. In this episode, PRovoke Media executive editor Aarti Shah talks to Dan Carter, digital health and regional practice lead for the East Coast, about the future of digital health.

Topics covered:
01:33 Defining digital health 
02:26 The impact of recent VC investments in telehealth 
05:13 How healthcare apps can stand out in such crowded markets   
06:22 Will mental health continue to be digital-first? 
08:29 Biggest digital health category in 2022?

‘Back To Office‘ Plans Impact Diversity Initiatives

The research is clear: flexibility now ranks second only to compensation on what employees care about — and it hits even harder with diverse employees. According to Future Forum data: 80% of Black, 78% of Hispanic, and 77% of Asian respondents want a flexible working experience, either through a hybrid or remote-only model. This compared to 74% of white employees. This race breakdown paints a stark picture for an industry that’s both focused on bringing employees back to the office while also pledging to increase diversity at all levels. 
To explore what this means for the PR industry, PRovoke Media executive editor Aarti Shah spoke with Helen Kupp, head of product strategy & partnerships at Future Forum, and Naria Frazer, VP and head DEI at Praytell. 

03:00 The Future Forum survey
05:37  What it’s like to be a racial minority at a PR agency
08:14  Re-skilling managers around inclusion, especially in remote environments
09:13  Subtle ways in-office networking can be exclusionary
11:22  Normalizing flexibility & not making remote workers ‘second class’ employees
16:38  How Praytell manages remote talent and its 4-day work week
19:58  It’s not just about remote work — it’s also asynchronous work
24:41  The “office is necessary for culture” trope is a myth
32:52   Advice for the industry

Healthy Bites: Data-Driven Communications With Emily Poe

We've partnered with Real Chemistry— formerly W2O — on a new series Healthy Bites. In each episode, we will have a quick chat with a healthcare expert to provide a digestible "what you should know" to help the industry stay ahead of the rapidly changing healthcare public relations and communications landscape. We are launching the series with Emily Poe, group president of integrated communications at Real Chemistry, who talks to PRovoke Media executive editor Aarti Shah about data-driven communications. 

Topics covered:
02:01 Defining data-driven communicator 
02:59 The balance between instincts and data 
03:53 Most exciting data-driven advancements 
06:39 When does data have the most impact?